Electroplating apparatus.



No. 888,093. PATENTED MAY 19, 1908.

W. R. KING.

BLEGTROPLATING APPARATUS INVENTOR:

ATTORN 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

I: ":1 o o o u 0 e A o o o o a n a .u c m m. I v w I. I I I I J I a n 1 a 1 1 l APPLIUATION FILED D110. 15. 1906.

/Tbdp .WITNESSES: ,,M

Eg M Q PATENTED MAY 19, 1908.

W. R. KING. BLECTROPL'A'I'ING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 16, 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I/II/IIIII In) INVENTORI ATTORN WITNESSES:

UNITED srl'irns rem ss"? WILLIS R. KING, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, XSSTGNOR TO THE .i lANSON 6; VAN WINKLE COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSL ELECTROPLATING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 15, 1905.

Patented may 19, 1908.

Serial No. 291,879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, VILLIS R. limo, a. citizen of the United States, residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New J orsey, have invented certain new and useful I111 rovements in Electroplating Apparatus; an I do hereby declare the following to be av full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willeneble others skilled in 10 the art to which it spoertsins to make and use the same, reference heing had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The present invention is in the nature of an improvement in that class of apparatus employed for the purposes of electro-deposition of metals upon articles of the various kinds; and, the invention relates more especially to improvements in revo'luble mechan ical plating apparatus of the various kinds which are provided with a revolving container, basket or barrel, usually of wood, ratan, or other suitable material, provided with apertures or holes for the flow of the electrolyte or plating'solution therethrough to the articles which are placed within the said container, and which are to be plated.

Heretofore, the holes or perforations in the containers have been of such size that very small articles to be plated would readily dro from the container through a hole or per oration, or sometimes would become stuck fast therein; while, on the other hand, owing to an arrm'igement of fine or smell perforations in a wooden cont siner, as now sometimes used, reat resistance is offered to the passage of tie current from the anode through the perforations in the container to the articles which are to be plated, and thus resulting in a very slow process of plating the said articles which are placed in the container.

The present invention has for its principal openings or perforations so as to offer procticall'y no resistance to the current as comcred to the resistance offered. when a wooden arrel which is rovided with line perforations is em loved and within such container placing a; li exible and perforated dis )liru'gm or sheet of non-conducting niatorizu, such as celluloid, vulcanite, vulcanized fiber, or other analogous and \xsterproof material object to provide such containers with larger,

the perforations in the said diaphragm or sheet being variously disposed and being made very small, that the smallest articles can be suitably disposed in the container of the electroplating apparatus, without any possibility of dropping through the larger holes or perforations in the container, and in consequence thereof falling to the bottom of the tank, as heretofore. To obtain the best results, the said interiorly placed diaphragm or sheet within the revolving container of the plating apparatus, may be made from u thin continuous sheet of" such nnrleriuls hereinsbove specified and provided with an arrangenient of hue or small holes or porlorstions, and is removable therefrom, being capeble of being slipped into position with the revolving container in the manner of a cylindcr, as will hereinafter n )PUzLl'. The said inner diaphragm, if desired, may also be made in other suitable shapes or in SUCllOHS, so as to be used with containers oi lltXilgIUDll or other similar cross-sections, the said sections bc ing on )itble of removal as a whole or scpm rebly trom the said container.

With a container pro vidod with large openings or perforations and wiih a thin diaphragm provided with sorios Ul lino pcr- 'l'orzrtions or openings, it has hsen found in practice, that the resisimico lo die current as (EOIIl'fll'Bl'l to that oliored in o cmili-riner of woo provided with lineliolcs or perform tions, {LS heretofore, decreases from eighty to ninety per cent, thus (molding the work, with an apparatus embodying lhe l'catures of my present invention, to be plated in a similar reduction of time. l'ilh u diaphragm mode from celluloid, vulninile, or the like, having atliicknoss oi soy 15/1000 of an inch, as against the usual perforated wood container oi :ii'l. lozisl -35 of an inch, and with a larger number o'l porl'omlions in the diaphragm and a smaller mimhor of large openings or perforations in the wood container or the interstices between the intern reeds of a revolving bushel, the 'linnl results are obvious, the olectro tihiling being more thoroughly done, and in less time, and with a great saving in the item of expense.

In orderto pm'ticu'lm'l describe my pres ont invention, and the nnrnner in which the some is to be performed, 1 annex herewith invention is clearly illustrated suitably formed openings, as d, and the said be"'easily removed Referring now to the said drawings, Figure 1 illustrates in longitudinal vertical section the tank of an electro-plating apparatus pro vided with a revolving container or drum, the said container or drum being shown partly in elevation and partly in longitudinal vertical section, and having laced therein a flexible dia hragm or sheet ormed with fine or small ho es or perforations, and made according to the principles of this invention. 1s a transverse vertical section, taken On line 2-2 in said Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a 'face'view of a portion ofthesaid perforated wood, and it is provided with small openings or perforations, the holes or perforations being purposely made small, that an small articles which are placed within t e containe'r to be lated will not drop through the holes or pe orations of the container, or become stuck therein. In the present apparates, the said device is provided with a container of wood, ratan, or other suitable material, having a series of large holes or other container is rovided with the usual and suitably secured cover or lid 0. Suitably arranged within the said container 0, so as to conform to the inner contour of the said container, is a flexible sheet or dia hragm f of celluloid, vulcanite, vulcanize fiber, or other suitable non-conducting and waterpgloof material, which is provided with many e holes or'perforations g, substantially as illustrated in the several figures of the drawings. The said dia hragm or sheet may be made of any suita le configuration, or in sections, as may be desirable, according to the kind and construction of revolving container with which it'is to be used, and can be easily slippedin its position within the said container during the process of 'electro-plating. The said dia hragm or sheet can also from the container, when desired, for making necessary repairs or for the purpose of replacing the worn out diaphragm or diaphra -sections with new ones, or when 1t 18 ceslred to usethe container of the electro-plating apparatus withoutjadiaphra m, as in the case. of the deposition of meta s upon lar or articles placed *5 the container w 'ch can notfall through the openingsv or perforations formed in the sides of the container.

The operation of the device or apparatus briefly is as follows: The diaphragm or sheet having been slipped into position within the container, the articles to receive the deposit of metal or to be bright-plated are prepared 7 through the apparatus in any usual manner.

From the foregoing description of my present invention, it will be evident, that the improvement which embodies the rinciples of this invention can be easily and at slight expense applied. to existing electrolytic vats provided with revolving containers or drums.

made of wood, ratan, or other suitable material, and of any'desired size and cross-area, whether hexagonal, cylindrical, octagonal, or of any other suitable cross-section.

The invention is especially applicable to a container provided with large openings, or to the wicker basket rovided with 'a grea many openings, oifermg very little resistance to the current in its passage to the interior of the container or basket, and the diaphragm providing a safe means adapted to contain all kinds of small articles capable of rolling over and over within thevcontainer, to be thoroughly and properly electro-platedl The flexible perforated diaphragm may be applied to any known form of revolving container, and the details of the ap aratus are modified to suit any existing con itions.

I claim 1. An electro-plating apparatus comprising a hollow container having apertures or openings, means for revolving said container, a'flexible diaphragm or sheet adapted to be slipped into said container, and adapted to be removed therefrom, said diaphragm or sheet being provided with fine holes of smaller diameter than the openings of the container to prevent small articles which are cles which are to be plated from dropping of the container to prevent small articles into the larger apertures or openings in said which are to be plated from dropping into container, substantially as set forth. the larger openings or apertures the said 3. An electro-plating apparatus comprisl container, substantiallf as set forth. 15 5 ing a hollow container having a ertures or i In testimony that claim the invention openin s, means for revolving sai container, set forth above I have hereunto set my hand a fiexi le diaphragm or sheet of celluloid, this 9th day of December, 1905 adapted to be slipped into said container, 1 WILLIS R. KING. and adapted to be removed therefrom, said i 10 diaphragm or sheet being provided with fine holes of smaller diameter than the openings \Vitnesses:

FREDK. C. FRAENTZEL, GEO. D. RICHARDS. 

